Page 82 of Silas's Sweetheart

“Lordy me, is that hot or what?” Wilder exclaimed excitedly when Ethan effortlessly swung up onto Goliath’s bare back, using the fence post for leverage to prevent hurting the animal.

“Wilder,” Bowie muttered, blushing as his gaze never moved from Ethan, who raced around the paddock, getting Goliath to switch directions fast as damn lightning.

“It’s the truth. Look at him.”

“I am,” Bowie replied breathlessly.

Kari threaded his way to Bowie and stood behind him. Silas leaned back and noticed Kari slip a hand down over Bowie’s jean clad ass. Was Kari jealous?

The new concept threw Silas but then Lennon moved into his line of sight and asked, “How did he learn to do that?”

“Ethan came out of the damn womb being able to do this shit. Honestly, I’ve never met another soul with his talent with a horse and he doesn’t even have to try.”

“I bet he’s got a talent with any animal,” Isley replied, stepping up onto the crossbar of the fence to lift himself higher and get a better view.

The conversation continued and Silas’s amusement increased until he noted Ziggy’s silence. It took less than a second to notice the tension in the tightness of his jaw, the strain around his eyes and the whiteness of his knuckles as he clutched at the fence.

Silas strolled past the others, knots forming the closer he got to Ziggy. He placed a hand on his shoulder, moving in to whisper in his ear, “Are you alright?”

Ziggy looked back at him and what he saw made a ball of dread take the place of the knots. “What is it?”

“I’m… I don’t think I can do this.” His skin looked waxy and the color his cheeks held disappeared right before Silas’s eyes. He barely had the wherewithal to reach out as Ziggy crumpled to the ground.

“Fuck, Ziggy? Ziggy? Ziggy?” Panic clawed at him as he lifted the boneless man awkwardly, his limbs hanging like heavy weights. Lifting Ziggy into his arms before anyone noticed there was an issue, Silas swung around blindly.

“What happened, boss?” Rio was right there in front of him.

Silas shook his head. “I think he fainted.” Lordy, he hoped that’s all this was. “I’ll take him up to the house.”

“I can take hi—”

“No!” Silas snapped, hating the idea, and got a wide-eyed response from Rio. “I’ll do it. You take over for me and give Ethan a heads up I won’t be back.”

Booker was right beside him. “Let me help you.”

Already shaking his head, Silas held on tighter to Ziggy. “I’m fine. You stay here.” Everyone was now looking at him, but he wasn’t in any mood to explain himself and started walking away.

“Where’s he going with my PA?” he heard Jupiter ask.

“Skipping out on the action before Ethan can show him up,” Kodi answered.

He sighed at the knowledge he was going to have to talk about this, only that would not be until he was damn sure Ziggy was okay.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Ziggy

Awareness came back to Ziggy with a horrible wave of nausea. Groaning, he rolled to sit up only to find himself stopped by a warm hand touching his… bare chest.

“Take it easy. Do you want a drink?”

His eyelids fluttered open and several things struck at once. He was inside. In a room he’d never seen before. He was on a large, comfy bed. His clothes were missing and there was a stranger dressed in dirty denim standing next to an anxious-looking Silas.

“What happened,” he croaked out, sitting up. With a pretty good idea of what went down, given how scared his snake had gotten, he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like the answer. He had managed to hold his fear in check, right until Ethan had charged towards the fence and come to a sudden stop. He recalled Silas speaking to him, but nothing after that. How embarrassing, to pass out in front of everyone. It didn’t explainhow he’d gotten into what had to be Silas’s ranch house, and his bed going by the scent in the room.

What were you playing at?

Did you see that… that creature? He was attempting to step on us.

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